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New York State Disability Services Council

Spring 2025 Conference Agenda 

Registration is open!
Early bird registration March 14th to May 2nd, 2025
Registration closes May 23rd, 2025

Pre-conference:

Monday, June 2nd, 2025

Registration: Starts 11:30am - Paradise Bay Landing

Pre-conference session 1: 12p to 5p

Mental Health First Aid for Adults, Certification

Instructor: Tanya Hoistion
Room: Lakeshore B

This session is fee and limited to 30 attendees and will be on a first come first registered basis. 
This will be a five hour session. On completion, participants will be certified mental health first aiders for adults. 

Pre-conference Session 2: 1p to 5p 

New Provider Training

Instructors: Don Pool, Kristin Harte, Debbie Dimitrovski
Room: Lakeshore A

This session will be a “mini boot camp” for new professionals; covering the topics that are most useful and helpful to people new to disability-related work in higher education.

Conference:

Registration: 8:00am 

Breakfast: 8:00 - 9am - Paradise Bay Ballroom

Day 1: Tuesday, June 3, 2025

 Time

 Room

 Presentation
 9:00 - 9:10 am  Paradise Bay Ballroom

President's Address

Tanya Hoistion (she/her), Coordinator - Student Accommodations and Testing Center, Jefferson Community College
 9:10 - 10:20 am  Paradise Bay Ballroom Business Meeting
 10:20 - 10:30 am   Break
 10:30 - 12:00 pm  Paradise Bay Ballroom

Keynote Address 

Mark Greenfield (he/him)
 12:00 - 1:00 pm  Paradise Bay Ballroom Lunch
 1:00 - 2:00 pm  Paradise Bay Ballroom

Keynote Address (continued)

Mark Greenfield (he/him)
 2:00 - 2:10 pm
Break
 2:10 - 3p  Lakeshore A - Concurrent Session 1.1

Audio Recording, AI, and the Political Climate: Technology-Assisted Notetaking in 2025

Jeremy Zhe-Heimerman (he/him), Assistant Director, SUNY Cortland
 2:10 - 3 pm  Lakeshore B - Concurrent Session 1.2 

Jobs for Juniors: Employment Readiness Program

Emi DiSciullo (she/her), Assistant Director for Learning Support and Neurodiversity Initiatives, SUNY New Paltz

Hannah Pedersen (she/her), SUNY New Paltz student-Early Childhood/Childhood Education Candidate; Concentration: English, SUNY Disability Ambassador, DAPi President
 2:10 - 3 pm  Lakeshore C - Concurrent Session 1.3

From Policy to Practice: ADA Title II Changes for Campus Communities

Mary Henesey, Electronic & Information Technology Accessibility Officer, University at Buffalo

Brian Belcher, Instructional Accessibility Specialist, University at Buffalo
 3:10 - 4 pm  Lakeshore B - Concurrent Session 2.1

CVI in Higher Education: Recognition, Access, and Advocacy

Kira Brady, Visiting Assistant Professor, SUNY Morrisville
 3:10 - 4 pm  Lakeshore C - Concurrent Session 2.2

Understanding the data in a Psychoeducational evaluation

Rhonda Lanni, Director of Access & Accommodations, Roberts Wesleyan University
 4:10 - 5 pm  Lakeshore C SUNY Sector Meeting
 4:10 - 5 pm  Lakeshore B CUNY Sector Meeting
 4:10 - 5 pm  Lakeshore A Independent Sector Meeting


Day 2: Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Registration: 8:00am 

This is the vendor display day. Please make time to visit the vendors in the Silver Bay Ballroom from 10am to 5p

 Time

 Room

 Presentation
 8:00 - 9 am  Paradise Bay Ballroom Breakfast with committees, 2H2 Reporting update
 9:00 - 9:45 am Paradise Bay Ballroom Strategic Planning Meeting
 9:45 - 10:15 am Paradise Bay Ballroom

Mobilizing the masses towards advocacy and Student Empowerment Day

Lauren Rodriguez, Director of Resources for Students with Disabilities, SUNY

Raymond Perez, University Director of Disability Programs, CUNY

Erin Braselmann, Dean of Disability Resources and Accessibility, Bard College
 10:30 - 12:00 am

 Lakeshore A- Concurrent Session 3.1

 The Power of AI: Bridging the Gap Between Accommodations and UDL
Conner Nudd (he/him), CEO, JamWorks
 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Lakeshore B- Concurrent Session 3.2 Game On! How Academic Coaching Engages and Empowers Students with Disabilities!

Nicole Mucica (she/her), Director of Student Accessibility Services, SUNY Brockport

Kylie Vargas (she/her), Graduate Assistant, SUNY Brockport
 12:00 - 1:30 pm Paradise Bay Ballroom Lunch and  Award ceremony 
 1:30 - 2:00 pm Silver Bay Ballroom Vendor Visit
 2:00 - 2:50 pm Lakeshore A - Concurrent Session 4.1

Leveraging Data, Research, and Campus Information to Build Relationships and Get What You Need

Dr. Ann Knettler (she/her), Vice President of Consulting, GrackleDocs
 2:00 - 2:50 pm Lakeshore B - Concurrent Session 4.2

Auditing Your Campus for Accessibility

Don Pool, Accessibility Services Coordinator, Jamestown Community College
 2:00 - 2:50 pm Lakeshore C - Concurrent Session 4.3

Using SensusAccess Inside Brightspace to optimize accessibility on campus for all

Tanja Stevns, Director Inclusion Technology, SensusAccess

Lars Ballieu Christensen, Senior Advisor, SensusAccess
 3:00 - 3:50 pm Lakeshore A - Concurrent Session 5.1

Breaking Barriers in Learning: The Role of Human-Sounding Text-to-Speech

Daniel Goerz (he/him), CEO, Habitat Learn
 3:00 - 3:50 pm Lakeshore B - Concurrent Session 5.2

Strategies for working with students who have ADHD

Rhonda Lanni, Director of Access & Accommodations, Roberts Wesleyan University
 3:00 - 3:50 pm Lakeshore C - Concurrent Session 5.3

A Spoken Word

Michael J. Johnson (he/him), Health and Wellness Counselor, Monroe Community College
 3:50 - 4:40 pm Paradise Bay Ballroom

Disability at Bard: Building an inclusive community

Erin Braselmann, Dean of Disability Resources and Accessibility, Bard College
 5:00 - 7:00 pm Silver Bay Ballroom Wine/Beer and Charcuterie  Reception



Day 3: Thursday, June 5, 2025

 Time

 Room

 Presentation
8:00 - 9:30 am  Paradise Bay Ballroom Breakfast and "I have a student who..."
9:40 - 10:30 am Lakeshore A - Concurrent Session 6.1

Music, Clocks, and More: Troubleshooting Common Issues in Testing

Rachel Holland (she/her), Coordinator of Accessibility, Hudson Valley Community College

Annie Petersen (she/her), Assistant Director, Hudson Valley Community College
9:40 - 10:30 am Lakeshore B - Concurrent Session 6.2 No Disability Cultural Center? No Problem! How to do Disability

Cultural Programming on Your Campus!

Hannah Premo (they/them), Assistant Director of Programming, University at Buffalo
10:40 - 11:30 am Lakeshore A: Concurrent Session 7.1

Transforming Testing: Enhancing Inclusivity and Student Success

Carrie Solomon (she/her), Director, University Testing Center and University Tutorial Services, Binghamton University

Christen Szymanski (she/her), Director, Services for Students with Disabilities, Binghamton University
10:40 - 11:30 am Lakeshore B: Concurrent Session 7.2

Supporting College Students with ADHD in Online and In-Person Learning Environments

Andrea Piazza (she/her), Assistant Director, The Office of Accessibility Resources & Services, SUNY Empire
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Paradise Bay Ballroom

Kimberly Hill Ridley (she/her), NYS Chief Disability Officer
12:30 pm Paradise Bay Ballroom Wrap up & Box lunch




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